CompTech

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Google Launches New OnHub Wi-Fi Router Made by Asus
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Google, after launching its first OnHub Wi-Fi router in August this year, on Tuesday introduced the device's next generation model made by Asus. To note, TP-LINK made the first router.

The Asus OnHub Wi-Fi router is priced at $219.99 (roughly Rs. 14,300), $20 (roughly Rs. 1,300) more than its predecessor, and can be pre-ordered from Google's own online store, Amazon and Newegg. While Google and Amazon have not yet mentioned when the router would be shipped, Newegg clearly states the devices to start shipping on November 3.

Like the first router, the cylinder-shaped Asus OnHub links with the Google On app on Android and iOS devices. To recall, the app lets users know who is connected with the particular OnHub router and how much Internet data they are consuming. The new router brings the Wave Control feature, to boost the Wi-Fi speed for a particular device by simply waving a hand over the router.

In addition, Google promised to roll out first software update for the OnHub series of routers in the coming week. The update would bring several performance improvements, including a new smart antenna algorithm. Post update, the router would be able to select the "best combination of antennas to direct Wi-Fi to your devices," said Trond Wuellner, Group Product Manager, OnHub on company blog post. "The best part is, if you already have an OnHub, your router will automatically update when your network is quiet so it won't interrupt your connection," he added.

As for the specifications, the Asus OnHub with model name AC1900 is backed by a dual-core 1.4GHz processor, and features Bluetooth Smart and Wi-Fi 802.11ac connectivity, with a Gigabit Ethernet WAN port, Gigabit Ethernet LAN port, and a USB 3.0 port. It bears a speaker, and an LED light ring at the base indicating different network statuses with different colours, and a proximity sensor on top. As per the Newegg listing, the router delivers Internet speed of up to 1900Mbps as well.

Motorola Droid Turbo 2 With 'Shatterproof' Display, 21-Megapixel
Camera, 3760mAh Battery Launched
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The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 offers top-of-the-line specifications. The successor to the last year's Droid Turbo, comes with a 5.4-inch QHD (1440x2560) display. The company claims that the 'ShatterShield' display - which is made of an aluminium rigid core, flexible Amoled screen, and dual-layer touchscreen panels (redundancy in case one goes bad) - wouldn't break into pieces even when dropped on a slab of concrete.

(Also see: Motorola Droid Turbo 2 vs. Motorola Droid Turbo)

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 oct-core SoC paired with 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and comes in 32GB and 64GB storage options, both variants rocking a microSD card slot with up to 2TB capacity cards supports. There's a 3760mAh battery, which in addition to a claimed battery life of 2-days under "mixed use", also supports Quick Charging.

On the photography front, the handset comes with a 21-megapixel rear-camera with f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash and Phase Detect Auto-Focus, and a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter with flash. In terms of software, the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 runs Android 5.1.1. The single-SIM capable Turbo 2 supports 4G LTE (Cat 4), 3G, CDMa, Wi-FI and other standard connectivity options.

(Also see: Motorola Droid Turbo 2 vs. Motorola Droid Maxx 2)

Much like other Droid devices, the Droid Turbo 2 will be exclusively sold on Verizon Wireless network in the States. The carrier will be selling the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 at a price point of $624 (roughly Rs. 40,600) and $720 (roughly Rs. 47,000 retail) off contract for the 32GB and 64GB variants respectively. There's no word on international availability just yet, though it is likely to launch in other markets as the Turbo 2, similar to what we saw last year with the Moto Turbo.

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 will be available in the United States from October 29 in a trade-in offer for up to $300 off on the upgrade to the new Droid Turbo 2. The company says that it would also accept smartphones with cracked displays. As previously rumoured, the company is bringing its Moto Maker phone customisation program to the Droid-branded smartphone. Motorola says that it will provide users with more than 1,000 ways to design their phone, also giving them the option to select materials ranging from ballistic nylon to genuine Horween pebbled leather.

Facebook has figured out why it’s draining your iPhone battery
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After getting called out for excess battery use in its iOS app, Facebook is releasing some updates to fix the problem.

The first update, available today, solves a “CPU spin” issue that Facebook found in its network code. “A CPU spin is like a child in a car asking, ‘Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?’ with the question not resulting in any progress to reaching the destination,” Facebook engineering manager Ari Grant wrote. “The version released today has some improvements that should start making this better.”

Facebook also identified an issue related to video playback. In some cases, leaving the Facebook app after watching a video causes a silent audio track to keep playing in the background, similar to how music apps are supposed to function. In effect, the app is using up resources without actually doing anything useful. Grant said Facebook will be solving this problem by removing background audio completely. (It’s unclear if this fix is available in today’s update.)

Facebook’s battery woes became a hot topic last week, when Circa co-founder Matt Gilligan documented the issues in a post on Medium. PixelEnvy blogger Nick Heer responded by calling Facebook’s actions “user-hostile,” while Federico Viticci of MacStories said the company was being “shady” and showing “a deep lack of respect for iOS users.”

Facebook’s response suggests that the battery problems were a mere oversight. “We are committed to continuing to improve the battery usage of our app and you should see improvements in the version released today,” Grant wrote.

Why this matters: Facebook is the most popular mobile app in America, and the current 2nd-ranked free app in the App Store (behind only Facebook Messenger), so any battery drain issues could be affecting tens of millions of users. While it’s hard to understand how Facebook let these issues slip by, at least the company is listening to the tech community and making fixes now.